The Proms (the BBC Proms / Henry Wood Promenade Concerts) began in London on 10 August 1895.

Quick Scoop: When did the Proms start?

  • The very first Proms concert was held on Saturday 10 August 1895 at Queen’s Hall in London.
  • It was devised by impresario Robert Newman as a series of informal “promenade concerts” with cheap tickets to draw in new audiences.
  • Conductor Sir Henry Wood led almost every concert in the early decades, which is why the festival’s formal name is the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts.
  • The idea built on earlier 1830s French “promenade” concert traditions, but the specific festival now known as “the Proms” dates from 1895 in London.

So if you’re pinning it on a single start date: the Proms started on 10 August 1895 in London.

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